Zeno Robinson Talks 'Zom 100' and Embodying Workplace Depression in the English Dub (EXCLUSIVE)
We sat down with English voice actor Zeno Robinson, star of the 'Zom 100' English dub, and requested about voicing any such relatable protagonist.
Bold, colourful, and ambitious to a fault, Zom 100 is an anime that is eager to make a name for itself. Adapted from the ongoing manga by way of Haro Aso, the sequence follows zombie apocalypse survivor Akira Tendou. Having in the past landed his dream job at a significant company simplest to have the position chip away at his soul and well-being over the process several years, Akira unearths a brand new hire on lifestyles when a zombie apocalypse strikes and he realizes that he now not has to go to paintings.
The sequence has all the trappings of a breakout hit thanks to its unique premise, surprising animation, and shockingly resonant themes.
Not only that, however the English dub for the collection has controlled to recapture quite a few the anime's zany zombie action with some in reality compelling performances, especially from Zeno Robinson playing Akira. We sat down with Zeno and spoke to him about the creative liberties he dropped at the Zom 100 English dub.
Voice actor Zeno Robinson in reality resonated together with his 'Zom 100' personality.
Despite its outlandishly acquainted premise of a zombie apocalypse, Zom A hundred is an incredibly relatable human story at its core. After all, running at a job that slowly eats away at you and looking for some emotional pleasure out of doors of your work hours is one thing that most millennials can understand.
That contains Zeno Robinson, who himself has been in the more or less workplace doldrums that Akira faces in the first episode.
In looking to faucet into his portrayal of Akira, Zeno was once in a position to draw from revel in.
"I tend to be sort of a workaholic and my identity sort of becomes synonymous with my work," Zeno admitted to Distractify. "Sometimes because I am always so busy and I'm always putting a lot on my own plate, I tend to not have as much time to do things I want to do for myself."
He is going on to mention that he's fully acutely aware of the roughly interior drama that Akira first faced in his place of business activity, and had so much to deliver to the desk when it got here to stepping into the recording booth. He informed us, "I could see how that burnout can affect a person just like it affected Akira, so playing that was definitely coming from a real place.
Playing Akira in 'Zom 100' was once "cathartic" for Zeno, in a way.
In many ways, Zeno used that personal resonance with Akira's initial situation to fuel the character's eventual catharsis. Once the zombie outbreak hits, Akira quite literally runs in the opposite direction of despair as most people might. Upon realizing that he didn't have to go to work, he resolved to live his life to the fullest unrestrained by his work.
In trying to understand Akira himself, Zeno was able to channel a lot of personal emotion into his performance.
"It was once very cathartic," Zeno revealed. "[That feeling of Akira] having the ability to take his own life into his personal hands was once easy to tap into since you simply have to put your self there [as an actor]."
Zeno fully understood the capitalistic pressures that Akira was placed under in his office job and took great pleasure in placing his own spin on Akira's subsequent release.
"Not most effective is he freed from the pressures of his process and society, [however] he is free from the pressures of the international and capitalism."
Zeno Robinson already has plenty of favorite moments in 'Zom 100'.
As he strove to discover what Akira should sound like to him, Zeno was able to pinpoint some of his favorite moments from the show that encapsulated his portrayal. Namely in the first episode, Zeno especially enjoys the scene where Akira confronts both his abusive boss and his workplace crush, both of whom had already turned into zombies.
"That confession scene with him and Miss Ohtori and the method he resigned [from his task], that instantly went instantly into a roller coaster of emotions along with his big motion collection."
Despite the fact that the two most influential figures in his life had already been infected, it was important for Akira to convey his feelings and truly admit to himself the kind of life he'd been living. Zeno felt that in spades and absolutely loved portraying it.
"The reason why [Akira was] right here has been taken from him and he nonetheless went thru with it... it is just a super scene."
Of course, Zeno is best known for some of his action roles and Akira still sneaks in a couple of those epic moments that Zeno adores. In Episode 5 of the series, Akira confronts a zombie shark that he defeats with a nigh-inexplicable electrified punch.
"I've been waiting to do this since it got here out in the subs," Zeno admitted gleefully. "So I was truly excited for it to come back out."
It's common practice for English voice actors to offer their specific takes on a Japanese anime character that does not essentially rely an excessive amount of on the original Japanese dub performances. To that end, Zeno Robinson had various non-public revel in and emotional wisdom to carry his model of Akira Tendou to existence.
Zom One hundred is these days to be had on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
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